JP2007188386A - Reservation processing system and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reservation service allowing a user to reserve a train and its seat even in a reservation only for a time zone and a boarding section of a railroad line, and allowing the railroading company to efficiently use seats of the trains. <P>SOLUTION: The whole reservation processing system is separated into a reservation center system 110, a railroad station system 120, and an on-train system 130. A reservation processing section 112 of the reservation center system 110 reserves only the time zone and boarding section in response to a reservation request of a passenger. When the passenger passes through a ticket gate 122 of the railroad station system 120, a station server 121 decides the train. When the passenger gets on the train, an on-train server 131 registers a seat occupied by the passenger. The reservation processing section 112 also receives a reservation to specify a train. A seat preparation section 111 can calculate the number of allowable reservations including standby to a certain extent within an allowable waiting time in consideration of a demand model of passengers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system and method for accepting a reservation specifying a time zone, and more particularly, to a system and method used for reservation of transportation facilities such as air, railway, and bus.

Generally, in the current railway reservation system, a train is determined at the time of reservation. This is disadvantageous for both passengers and railway operators as described below.
(A) Reduced passenger convenience:
This is inconvenient for a passenger whose schedule is uncertain (for example, a businessman who makes a reservation for a business trip return).
(B) Decrease in profitability of operators:
By changing or canceling the schedule according to the schedule, the number of vacant seats in the sliced section will increase, and the number of seats that can be sold in the continuous section will decrease. In addition, many passengers who do not get on the train as scheduled (reserving a later train with a margin and then getting on the train earlier in time) will lose the opportunity to sell vacant reserved seats.

  As measures against the above problems, several methods for realizing reservations for time zones and multiple trains have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-92107 (Patent Document 1) describes a case where a plurality of trains / seats are provisionally reserved, and a passenger confirms the trains / seats by a predetermined confirmation deadline. Further, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-281240 (Patent Document 2) describes that a train is temporarily reserved in a time zone, and a train and a seat are determined when a passenger passes a ticket gate.

JP 2002-92107 A JP 2003-281240 A

  However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 assigns actual seats for multiple trains (N trains) to one person at the stage of provisional reservation, it is extremely reserved in the situation where many reservation requests are received before the fixed deadline. There is a risk that the allowable number may be reduced (about 1 / N times). The technique described in Patent Document 2 is based on the premise that an unlimited number of seats can be secured at any time, and an allowable reservation number and a method for determining the number of seats to be secured are not provided. In this way, it is difficult to provide a time slot reservation service that can effectively use seats when crowded by either method.

  An object of the present invention is to realize a time slot reservation service that can make effective use of seats when crowded.

  In the present invention, it is possible to perform statistical treatment similar to airline ticket reservation by making seats uncertain, and it is sufficient to secure one seat per reservation. In the railway reservation system, since a plurality of boarding sections are mixed, the prediction related to the reservation is formulated into a linear programming problem composed of statistical constraints that is more complicated than the air reservation. Then, at the reservation reception stage, only the number of reservations that do not require additional seats will be received later.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention uses the following means.
(1) Properly plan and secure the number of reservations accepted and the number of seats. In particular, since the reserved seats are not vacant, the allowable number of reservations and the number of reserved seats are planned so that waiting for boarding occurs to some extent.
(2) Separate timing for time slot reservation, train determination and seat determination. As an example, in the time zone reservation stage, only the time zone and boarding section are reserved, the train is confirmed when the passenger passes the ticket gate, and after the boarding, the passenger himself can secure any vacant seat at the ticket check terminal in the car Constitute.
(3) The reservation center system for processing time slot reservations has a reservation counter for storing the reservation allowable number and the reservation acceptance number for each time slot and each boarding section, and the reservation acceptance number does not exceed the reservation allowable number. Accept reservations in range.
(4) Provide two types of reservation types, a type for making reservations during time slots and a type for specifying trains at the time of reservation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the time slot | zone reservation service which can utilize a seat effectively at the time of congestion can be implement | achieved. For the user, the train and the seat can be secured even if the schedule is not confirmed, and convenience is improved. For reservation recipients, profitability is improved by improving seat allocation efficiency and reducing unauthorized cancellation.

  The overall configuration of the reservation processing system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The overall system is broadly divided into a reservation center system 110 for managing acceptance / rejection of time slot reservations, a station system 120 for assigning trains to passengers, and an on-board system for passengers to secure any vacant seats. 130.

  The reservation center system 110 includes processing units of a seat arrangement unit 111 and a reservation processing unit 112 and various databases described later. The seat arrangement unit 111 is based on a database such as the passenger model 113, transport system information 114, reservation control parameters 115, etc., and the number of reservations allowed for each time zone and boarding section and the number of seats reserved for each train and boarding section corresponding thereto. Are stored in the database of the reservation counter 116 and the seat counter 117, respectively. The reservation processing unit 112 accepts a time slot reservation request from the reservation terminal 151 via the network, and responds to the reservation acceptance / rejection according to the status of the reservation counter 116. When a reservation is accepted, the contents are stored in a ticket list 118 that is stored as a list. The reservation processing unit 112 distributes the corresponding portions of the seat counter 117 and the ticket list 118 to each boarding station system 120 at a predetermined timing specific to each train / boarding section. More detailed processing will be described later.

  The seat arrangement unit 111 preliminarily decides, for example, that a maximum of 100 seats for one car is reserved for time zone reservation for each train. This corresponds to the “capacity” described later. Since the degree of congestion of each train varies, it can be predicted that 70 seats may be sufficient for reserved seats in a certain train. This corresponds to the above “number of seats reserved”. The seat arrangement unit 111 opens the remaining 30 seats, and transfers them for another reservation (such as a train confirmed / seat uncertain type). The conventional seat fixed type reservation cannot be mixed in the same vehicle in operation.

  The reservation center system 110 is composed of one or a plurality of computers. Each computer includes a CPU, a memory, and a storage device. The seat arrangement unit 111 and the reservation processing unit 112 are each realized by a program stored in a memory and executed by the CPU. Passenger model 113, transportation system information 114, reservation control parameter 115, reservation counter 116, seat counter 117, and ticket list 118 are databases stored in a storage device.

  The station system 120 includes a station server 121 that centrally manages seat allocation to passengers reserved during the time period boarding from the station, a ticket gate 122 group as an interface with the IC ticket 152, and a seat counter ( This station consists of 123 databases and a ticket list (this station) 124. The station server 121 assigns a train to be boarded to the passenger who has reserved the time slot and passes the information on the IC ticket 152 or notifies the passenger of the result when the passenger who has reserved the time slot passes the ticket gate. More detailed processing will be described later. The IC ticket 152 stores ticket information in an IC card. As a recording medium, a magnetic card, an optical card, or a mobile phone with an IC card may be used instead of the IC card.

  The station server 121 is a computer and connects a storage device. The seat counter (for this station) 123 and the ticket list (for this station) 124 are databases stored in this storage device.

  The on-board system 130 includes an on-board server 131 that centrally manages seats, a ticket checking terminal 132 group provided in each seat, a seat occupancy table 133, and a train ID 134 database. A passenger can automatically secure a seat by holding a valid IC ticket 152 over a ticket checking terminal 132 of any vacant seat on the vehicle. More detailed processing will be described later.

  The on-board server 131 is a computer and connects a storage device. The seat occupancy table 133 and the train ID 134 are databases stored in this storage device.

  The contents of each database in FIG. 1 are as follows. FIG. 7 shows an example of data of the reservation counter 116. Here, the number of reservations allowed and the number of reservations accepted corresponding to a set of boarding date / time zone / boarding section are recorded.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of data of the seat counter 117. Here, the number of seats secured for the train / boarding section pair and the number of boarding confirmed are recorded. The data structure of the seat counter (for this station) 123 is the same as that of the seat counter 117.

  FIG. 9 shows a data example of a “demand model” that is one of the passenger models 113. This gives a predicted value of the number of reservation requests generated in a specified time zone, boarding section, and reservation period (by default, for example, after the current time).

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the contents of a “train selection model” that is one of the passenger models 113. This means that for each set of time zones / sections, the passenger who has accepted the reservation selects which train is the first choice (if the train is confirmed at the ticket gate, the ticket at the most suitable time for which train) Pass).

  Transport system information 114 can be used for timetables (diagrams) This is a database that holds predetermined information such as the number of seats in the seat block of each train. The reservation control parameter 115 holds predetermined information such as a list of reservation time zones, an invalid value of waiting time (for example, an amount converted value), and the like.

  Next, a rough service use procedure viewed from the passenger will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the procedure for using the reservation service includes three phases: time slot reservation 210 at any time, train determination 220 at the ticket gate, and seat determination 230. As shown in Fig. 3, there are various timings for determining the train and the seat. Here, the train 4 is automatically confirmed at the ticket gate, and the seat is confirmed by the automatic ticket checker for each seat after boarding. For each case, each step will be described. Each step corresponds to processing of the reservation center system 110, the station system 120, and the on-board system 130 in the entire reservation processing system of FIG.

  The time slot reservation phase 210 involves an operation using a reservation terminal 151 such as a mobile phone or a PC. The passenger designates the date, time zone, boarding section, etc. that he / she wants to make a reservation and inquires the reservation center system 110 whether or not the reservation is possible. As an optional service, the reservation result may be notified to the passenger by e-mail to the mobile terminal or the passenger-specific Web page.

  In the train confirmation phase 220, the passenger only needs to hold the IC ticket 152 over the ticket gate 122. The station server 121 receives the information of the IC ticket 152 via the ticket gate 122, assigns vacant trains and boarding sections in the order of arrival on the basis of the seat counter (for this station) 123 (the seat is not fixed), and the ticket gate. The train ID (identifier) and the boarding section are stored in the IC ticket 152 via the machine 122. As an optional service, the train assignment result may be notified to the passenger.

  In the seat determination phase 230, in order to secure an arbitrary vacant seat, the passenger only has to hold the IC ticket he / she holds over the IC reader / writer of the ticket checking terminal 132 equipped with the seat. A similar seat reservation method has already been realized for green car non-reserved seats in the Tokyo metropolitan area, but a valid train (or seat block in the train) has already been designated as part of the time zone reservation system. Is different.

  This service is a membership system. That is, the passenger performs a predetermined registration procedure in advance to register the ID number of the IC card used as the IC ticket 152 in the reservation center system 110, and the reservation center system 110 maintains the correspondence between the IC card and the user. I shall keep it. Information necessary for registration includes an ID of a ticket IC card, a user name and password for member authentication, a notification e-mail address, a credit card number for settlement, and the like. The IC card and the reservation terminal 151 may be integrated or separate.

The seat arrangement unit 111 sets the reservation allowable number of the reservation counter 116 and the number of reserved seats of the seat counter 117 using the passenger model 113, the transportation system information 114, and the reservation control parameter 115. An outline of the calculation method will be described below. This is formulated as a linear programming problem with the number of reservations allowed and the number of reserved seats as unknowns, and can be solved in a practical time.
(A) The number of seats reserved for time slot reservation in each train must be less than or equal to the prescribed capacity. For example, 100 seats for each train are reserved for time zone reservation.
(B) The number of seats reserved for each train and each boarding section is calculated from the number of passengers who wish to board (predicted value of the person who will be in time for the train) to the number of passengers waiting for boarding The estimated value of the person who can be assigned the train) is subtracted, and the number of passengers waiting for the train (the estimated value of the person who can be assigned the train even though it came in time for the first train) is added.
(C) The predicted value of the number of passengers who want to board each train and each boarding section is the product sum of the corresponding reservation acceptance number (actual value) and the train selection probability. As the train selection probability, the predicted value of the train selection model in FIG. 10 is used. The train selection model is assumed to be given. For example, the actual value on the same day of the previous week (how many percent of the time zone / section reservations have arrived at what train departure time) is used as the predicted value for this week.
(D) The number of passengers waiting for boarding is not less than the prediction error of the number of passengers who want to board (standard deviation × n), and the waiting time of all passengers falls within a predetermined allowable value. If n is too large, the number of passengers waiting for boarding will increase. The allowable waiting time is also an operational constant determined by the railway operator. For example, this allowable value is set to two trains (passengers may wait for up to two trains). For n, the percentage of passengers waiting for a certain train (a kind of safety factor), for example, n is 50% for all trains. The other half waits about 1). In other words, by making sure that there are always people waiting for boarding, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of vacant seats and not to wait too much. Since these two parameters are related to convenience and safety (related to the existence of the solution of the linear programming problem), appropriate operation values are determined in advance by simulation or the like if necessary.
(E) The number of reservations allowed for each time zone and boarding section and the number of reserved seats for each train and section are determined so that sales are maximized under the above conditions. That is, the reservation allowable number is maximized and the minimum number of seats is secured. The predicted sales value is obtained by adding the reservation allowable number × the section unit price for each time zone and each section.

  According to the above calculation method, by allowing some passengers to wait for boarding, even if the predicted value of the number of passengers who wish to board is deviated to some extent, all the reservation persons can get on, and the number of reserved reservations and the number of reserved seats are the same In this sense, the seat can be used effectively. Further, for a passenger who has been confirmed up to a train, the reservation counter 116 can be updated to a more accurate one at any time in principle by setting the selection probability of the train to 1 in (c).

The following is an example of formulation of a linear programming problem.
・ Assumed service ・ Time slot reservation ・ Reservation will be accepted until the previous day.
・ The train is confirmed automatically at the ticket gate.
・ Explanation of symbols Z: Time zone T: Train I: Boarding section J: Between stops (section specified by context) consisting of two stop stations adjacent to train T)
Seat (T, I): Number of reserved seats #How many seats are reserved for train T and section I?
Res (Z, I): Reservable number of people # How many reservations for time zone Z and section I are accepted?
Dem (Z, I): Demand model # Expected number of reservation requests for time zone Z and section I since the present time.
Prob (T | Z, I): Train selection model # Probability that the reservation person in time zone Z and section I will arrive at train T at just the right time.
Fare (I): Charge table # Fare for Section I + designated express charge.
Res0 (Z, I): Number of reserved people #Current number of time zone Z and number of reservations in section I. For renewal only.
Smax (T): Train capacity #Number of seats reserved for train T time slot reservation.
Buff (T1, T2, I): Waiting boarding buffer # Expected number of passengers in section I who can get on T2 at time T1.
Seat ^~ (T, I): the number of people coming in just a good time to train T out of the train selection expected number # reservation's time zone Z · section I.
・ Input data ・ Demand model Dem = Dem (Z, I)
Train selection model Prob = Prob (T | Z, I)
・ Reserved number of people Res0 = Res0 (Z, I)
・ Train capacity Smax = Smax (T)
• Waiting buffer Buff = Buff (T1, T2, I) #Number of people who get on T2 in time for T1; #Reduce vacancies and seat overflow instead of waiting a little.
-Output data-Seat reservation number Seat = Seat (T, I) # Non-negative integer-Reservation allowable number Res = Res (Z, I) # Non-negative integer-Logic body-Under the restrictions of (1) to (4) below To calculate Res (Z, I) and Seat (T, I) that maximize (0). #Linear programming problem with 100 variables and 100 constraints, which can be solved in 0.1 second order.
(0) Sales forecast: Σ_ {Z, I} Fare (I) · Res (Z, I)
(1) Reservation acceptance constraint: Res0 (Z, I) <= Res (Z, I) <= Res0 (Z, I) + Dem (Z, I) ∀Z, I
(2) Train selection prediction: Seat ^~ (T, I) = Σ_ZProb (T | Z, I) · Res (Z, I) ∀ T, I
(3) Waiting for boarding: Seat (T, I) = Seat ^~ (T, I) -Σ_ {T2: T <T2} Buff (T, T2, I) + Σ_ {T1: T1 <T} Buff (T1, T, I) ∀T, I
(4) Capacity restriction: Σ_ {I: I⊇J} Seat (T, I) <= Smax (T) ∀T, J.

  The reservation processing unit 112 accepts or rejects the reservation request without considering the seat position on the basis of the reservation allowable number in each time zone and each boarding section of the reservation counter 116. Typically, this is performed in response to a reservation request from a reservation terminal 151 including a mobile phone, a PC, or a dedicated window terminal. A detailed processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step 410, the reservation processing unit 112 acquires member information such as a user name and password from the reservation terminal 151. In step 420, the reservation processing unit 112 performs authentication by comparing these with a member information database (not shown).

  In step 430, the reservation processing unit 112 acquires reservation information including a boarding date, a time zone, and a boarding section from the reservation terminal 151. In step 440, the reservation processing unit 112 determines whether the reservation under the condition of step 430 is valid. For example, a reservation reception period that is predetermined for each train is checked.

  In step 450, the reservation processing unit 112 acquires data of the reservation counter 116 corresponding to the condition in step 430. In step 460, the reservation processing unit 112 determines that the reservation is possible if the number of reservations accepted + the number of reservation requests ≦ the allowable number of reservations, and otherwise the reservation is impossible. In step 470, the reservation processing unit 112 performs settlement according to the received reservation content.

  In step 480, the reservation processing unit 112 increases the number of reservations received in the reservation counter by the number of people received this time. Further, the reservation processing unit 112 stores the reserved ticket information (card ID, reservation time zone, boarding section) in the ticket list 118. In step 490, the reservation processing unit 112 returns a result indicating whether or not the reservation has been made to the reservation terminal 151.

  In addition to the above processing, the reservation processing unit 112 monitors whether or not a predetermined train confirmation reception start time (for example, 1 hour before the departure of the train) has been reached for each train and each boarding section. The seat counter 117 and the ticket list 118 corresponding to the train and the boarding section that have reached are delivered to the station system 120 of the boarding station. The number of boarding receipts of the seat counter 117 at this stage is 0 unless the train is confirmed.

  Since the time slot reservation according to the present invention does not require individual seat information, the conventional seat reservation system can operate independently and accept reservations even when it is stopped due to maintenance or failure.

  The station system 120 assigns trains in the order of arrival based on the seat counter 123 distributed from the reservation processing unit 112 (without considering the seat position). Typically, this is automatically performed when a passenger who has reserved a time slot holds the IC ticket 152 over the ticket gate. An example of the train confirmation process will be described with reference to FIG.

  The ticket list (for this station) 124 holds a list of reservation information including a triple consisting of the card ID, reservation time zone, and boarding section of the registered IC ticket 152. The seat counter (for this station) 117 holds data on the number of seats secured for each boarding section and each train and the number of passengers already assigned to the boarding section and train.

  In step 510, the station server 121 detects the IC ticket 152. That is, the card ID of the IC ticket 152 is read through the ticket gate 122. In step 520, the station server 121 determines the validity of the IC ticket 152. That is, the card ID is checked against the ticket list 124, and the corresponding reservation information is acquired. If the acquisition is successful and the reservation time zone includes the current time, the reservation is valid. In other cases, it is determined that the ticket is invalid and the processing is terminated.

  In step 530, the station server 121 assigns a train that matches the reservation information. That is, the seat counter (for this station) 123 is searched, and the train ID of the earliest available seat with a seat vacated after a certain margin time from the current time is acquired. The station server 121 increases the number of passengers accepted in the train and boarding section in which the seat counter (for this station) 123 is confirmed. In step 540, the station server 121 stores the train assignment result in the IC ticket 152. That is, the boarding section obtained in step 520 and the train ID obtained in step 530 are written in a predetermined area of the IC ticket 152 via the IC card reader / writer of the ticket gate 122.

  In step 550, the station server 121 operates the gate of the ticket gate 122. That is, when the train assignment is successful, the gate of the ticket gate 122 is opened, and otherwise the gate is closed. You may use the auxiliary result notification means by a sound effect or a lamp together. In step 560, the station server 121 notifies the passenger of the train assignment result as necessary. For example, a ticket is issued from the ticket gate 122, or an e-mail is transmitted to a pre-registered e-mail address.

  By assigning trains within the station system 120, responsiveness such as ticketing and ticket gates can be secured. That is, since the seat counter (for this station) 123 is held in the station system 120, the responsiveness is better than when the seat counter 117 of the reservation center system 110 is accessed. Also, by centrally managing the station server 121, it is possible to ensure consistency between the ticket gates 122 group as compared to the case where each ticket gate 122 has a seat counter (for this station) 123 and a ticket list (for this station) 124. The troublesome processing can be omitted.

  The on-seat management system will be described with reference to FIG. The on-board system 130 includes an on-board server 131 and a ticket checking terminal 132 provided in each seat. The on-board server 131 holds a seat occupancy table 133 and a train ID 134 that are arranged in a triple consisting of the card ID, boarding section, and seat ID of the IC ticket 152. In the initial state, the seat occupancy table 133 is set to be empty, and the train ID 134 is set in advance with the ID of the train. The ticket checking terminal 132 includes an IC card reader and a status indicator. The passenger IC ticket 152 holds information including a triplet including a card ID, a boarding section, and a train ID.

  In step 610, the on-board server 131 detects a ticket. That is, the IC ticket 152 is polled through the IC card reader of the ticket checking terminal 132, and the card ID, boarding section, and train ID are read out. At the same time, the seat ID at which the IC card is detected is also recorded.

  In step 620, the on-board server 131 checks the validity of the ticket. That is, the train IDs held by the IC ticket 152 and the on-board system 130 are collated, and whether or not the boarding section held by the IC ticket 152 includes the current travel section is checked. Unless both the train ID and the boarding section are valid, it is determined that the ticket is invalid and the process is terminated.

  In step 630, the on-board server 131 checks whether the seat is occupied. That is, if there is a row corresponding to the seat ID in step 610 in the seat occupancy table 133, it is determined that the seat has been occupied, and the process ends.

  In step 640, the on-board server 131 performs seat occupation processing. That is, the on-board server 131 first deletes the row corresponding to the card ID in step 610 in the seat occupancy table 133 (avoidance of double occupancy and provision of a seat change service), and the card ID in step 610 Three rows consisting of the boarding section and the seat ID are added to the seat occupancy table 133. Further, the display of the status indicator of the ticket checking terminal 132 of each seat corresponding to the deleted or added seat ID is changed from on to off or from off to on.

  In parallel with the above processing, the on-board server 131 automatically releases the seat corresponding to the passenger who got off at the timing of arrival at the arrival station of the boarding section (deletion from the seat occupancy table and status indicator) Display change).

  In the above processing, the train ID 134 is held in the on-board server 131 and the IC ticket 152. However, when a plurality of seat blocks are taken on the same train, the seat ID includes the seat block ID. For example, different seat block IDs are given to the window side seat and the passage side. Separate non-smoking seats and smoking seats are assigned different seat block IDs. The same seat block ID is given to a seat group where a plurality of people can sit side by side. As a result, it is easy to provide various extended services such as designation on the window side / passage side, designation of smoking cessation / smoking, and acceptance of reservations for a plurality of people.

  In the above method, communication between the vehicle and the ground is almost unnecessary. However, as an alternative, it is possible to have a system in which nothing is written in the IC ticket 152 by having a copy of the train in the ticket list 118 on the vehicle. In this case, a wide range of IC cards that are not necessarily issued by the railway operator can be registered and used as tickets. However, communication between the ground and the vehicle is necessary from time to time. In either case, a complex seat management system that has become a hindrance to conventional time zone reservations that determine trains and seats at the reservation or ticket gate stage by using a seating guarantee type system that determines only the train first and seats later Is no longer needed.

  As an example of a method for improving the seat utilization rate, a method of mixing the time zone reservation of the present invention and the train fixed type reservation will be described. Here, the train confirmation type reservation is a reservation in which only the train is decided first and the seat is decided later. Instead of the train fixed type, a type with a narrow time zone may be used.

  First, the importance of this problem will be briefly explained. In the time zone reservation according to the present invention, particularly in the case of a method in which the passenger himself / herself reserves an arbitrary vacant seat, the seat block for the time zone reservation is set on a vehicle basis (for example, 1) from the viewpoint of convenience of seat management and reduction of passenger confusion. It is desirable to take in both minutes). In this case, the number of seats for time slot reservation of each train is about the same. FIG. 11 shows that when there are one time zone and a boarding section and six trains are operated during this time zone, the time slot reservation capacity for each train is as follows: It is the same level, and each train has a demand of almost full seats (dotted line in the figure), but the transport demand varies considerably from train to train. In this case, the allowable number of reservations that can be accepted as a time slot reservation is limited to a number that becomes full at peak times. In other words, if you accept more reservations, some passengers will not be able to board during peak hours. Therefore, seats that are sandwiched between the dotted line and the solid line in the figure and that overlap with the shaded area must be vacant even though there is demand and supply for transportation. However, if a train fixed type reservation can be used together, vacant seats other than the peak time can be filled with the train fixed type reservation, and it is possible to effectively utilize the train seats in this time zone.

  Now, it is a method of using both the time zone reservation and the train fixed type reservation, but for this, the algorithm described above can be used as it is as the seat arrangement processing procedure. That is, the train selection probability of the train-confirmed reservation may be set to 1. In step 430, the user who desires a train-confirmed reservation designates a train as one piece of reservation information, or designates a train before the train confirmation acceptance start time. The reservation processing unit 112 accepts the reservation when the number of boarding acceptances is less than the number of reserved seats for the designated train and boarding section in the seat counter 117 when step 480 or a train is designated, and the seat counter 117 The number of trains accepted in the specified train and boarding section is increased by the number of people accepted. As described above, it is possible to use both the time zone reservation and the train fixed type reservation, and this makes it possible to realize a high seat occupancy rate even when it is congested for the first time.

  This completes the description of the time slot reservation system for railways. The present invention is not limited to reservations for transportation such as air, rail and bus.

  The time zone reservation technology of the present invention can be applied to other than the transportation field. For example, time slot reservation for administrative services, time slot reservation for medical examinations, time slot reservation for English conversation lessons, etc.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the time slot | zone reservation system of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the utilization procedure of the passenger's time slot | zone reservation service of embodiment. It is a figure explaining the example of the timing of train determination and seat determination. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the reservation process part of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the station server of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the on-board server of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of data of a reservation counter. It is a figure which shows the example of data of a seat counter. It is a figure which shows the example of data of a demand model. It is a figure which shows the example of data of a train selection model. It is a figure explaining that a seat operation rate can be improved by the combination of a time slot | zone reservation and a train fixed type reservation.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... Reservation center system, 111 ... Seat arrangement part, 112 ... Reservation processing part, 116 ... Reservation counter, 117 ... Seat counter, 118 ... Ticket list, 120 ... Station system, 121 ... Station server, 122 ... Ticket gate, 123 ... Seat counter (for this station), 124 ... Ticket list (for this station), 130 ... On-board system, 131 ... On-board server, 132 ... Ticket check terminal, 133 ... Seat occupancy table, 134 ... Train ID, 151 ... Mobile terminal 152 ... IC ticket.

Claims (15)

A reservation center system that processes transportation reservation requests including designation of time zones and boarding sections,
The reservation center system includes a reservation processing unit realized by executing a computer program, and a storage device.
The storage device has a reservation counter for holding a reservation allowable number and a reservation acceptance number for each time zone and each boarding section, and a ticket for holding reservation information including an identifier, a time zone and a boarding section concerning a passenger who has accepted a reservation. Store lists and
The reservation processing unit, in response to the reservation request, means for accepting the reservation when the reservation acceptance number of the designated time zone and boarding section in the reservation counter is less than the reservation allowable number; A means for increasing the number of reservations accepted by the number of people if accepted, and storing the reservation information in the ticket list;
Any train included in the time zone is determined by a station system provided at each station, and seats in the train are not specified to be determined by an on-board system provided in the determined train. Is a reservation center system that accepts reservations with uncertain trains and seats.   2. The reservation center system according to claim 1, wherein the storage device further stores a seat counter that holds a seat reservation number and a boarding acceptance number for each train and each boarding section.   The reservation center system according to claim 2, wherein the reservation processing unit transfers the contents of the seat counter to the related station system when a predetermined time is reached.   The reservation processing unit further accepts the reservation in response to the reservation request including the train designation when the number of boarding acceptances of the designated train and boarding section in the seat counter is less than the seat reservation number. And means for increasing the number of passengers accepted when the reservation is accepted by the number of persons, and storing the specified train identifier in the reservation list in the reservation information. The reservation center system according to claim 2.   The reservation center system according to claim 1, wherein the reservation processing unit transfers the ticket list to the related station system when a predetermined time is reached.   The reservation center system is further realized by executing a computer program, and includes a seat arrangement unit that calculates the reservation allowable number so that waiting for a certain amount of waiting occurs within the allowable waiting time from a passenger demand model. The reservation center system according to claim 1, comprising: It has a reservation center system that processes transportation reservation requests including designation of time zones and boarding sections, a station system provided at each station, and an on-board system provided within the train. A reservation processing system that performs processing until confirmation,
The reservation center system includes a reservation processing unit realized by executing a computer program, and a storage device.
The storage device has a reservation counter for holding a reservation allowable number and a reservation acceptance number for each time zone and each boarding section, and a ticket for holding reservation information including an identifier, a time zone and a boarding section concerning a passenger who has accepted a reservation. Store lists and
The reservation processing unit, in response to the reservation request, means for accepting the reservation when the reservation acceptance number of the designated time zone and boarding section in the reservation counter is less than the reservation allowable number; A means for increasing the number of reservations accepted by the number of people if accepted, and storing the reservation information in the ticket list;
The station system includes a seat counter for the station that holds the number of reserved seats and the number of passengers accepted for each train and each boarding section, a storage device that stores the ticket list for the station, and the identifier of the passenger Assigns a train with an available number of passengers with reference to the seat counter to a passenger matched with the passenger identifier in the ticket list, and records a ticket for the passenger that records the assigned train identifier and boarding section. A station server to issue,
The on-board system includes a storage device that stores a seat occupancy table that records an identifier of a seat to be occupied, a train identifier of the issued ticket for the passenger, and the passenger's identifier for a passenger whose boarding section is valid. A reservation processing system comprising: an on-vehicle server that records an identifier of a seat occupied by a passenger in the seat occupancy table.   The reservation processing system according to claim 7, wherein the storage device of the reservation center system further stores the seat counter for the entire station.   The reservation processing system according to claim 8, wherein the reservation processing unit transfers the contents of the seat counter to the related station system when a predetermined time is reached.   The reservation processing unit further accepts the reservation in response to the reservation request including the train designation when the number of boarding acceptances of the designated train and boarding section in the seat counter is less than the seat reservation number. And means for increasing the number of passengers accepted when the reservation is accepted by the number of persons, and storing the specified train identifier in the reservation list in the reservation information. The reservation processing system according to claim 8.   The reservation processing system according to claim 7, wherein the reservation processing unit transfers the ticket list to the related station system when a predetermined time is reached.   The reservation system according to claim 7, wherein the station system further includes a ticket gate connected to the station server, and the station server inputs the identifier of a passenger via the ticket gate. Processing system.   The on-board system further includes a ticket checking terminal provided at each seat and connected to the on-board server, and the on-board server includes a train identifier recorded in the passenger ticket via the ticket checking terminal. The reservation processing system according to claim 7, wherein a boarding section is input.   The on-board server refers to the seat occupancy table when the passenger occupies the seat, cancels the seat occupancy where the identifier of the same passenger is already recorded, and assigns the identifier of the new seat occupied by the passenger to the seat occupancy table. 8. The reservation processing system according to claim 7, wherein the reservation processing system is recorded. A reservation processing method for processing a transportation reservation request including designation of a time zone and a boarding section,
The reservation processing method realized by executing a computer program includes:
In response to the reservation request, the reservation acceptance number of the designated time zone and boarding section in the reservation counter on the storage device that holds the reservation allowable number and the reservation acceptance number for each time zone and each boarding section is the reservation reservation number. Accept the reservation if it is less than the allowed number,
When accepting a reservation, the corresponding number of reservations received is increased by the number of people, and the reservation information including the identifier, time zone and boarding section relating to the passenger who accepted the reservation is stored in the storage device,
Any train included in the time zone is determined by a station system provided at each station, and seats in the train are not specified to be determined by an on-board system provided in the determined train. Is a reservation processing method characterized in that the reservation is accepted while the train and seat are indeterminate.

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